There are three main vendors of strawberry shortcake at the festival, and here’s why you should save room for all of them.
St. Clement Catholic Church
St. Clement is the oldest and largest shortcake operation at the festival. It is also the only vendor that allows customers to build their own shortcake. The church began selling shortcake 42 years ago, and sales have grown ever since. About 100,000 customers visit the booth annually.
To keep up with the demand, the church has perfected an efficient system to keep shortcake production running all 11 days of the festival.
At the church, volunteers first hull the berries. A machine washes the berries twice and then sends them up a conveyor belt to a slicer. The sliced berries are packed into five-gallon buckets, and refrigerated trucks haul them to the festival grounds.
Customers at St. Clement’s booth have a choice between a sponge cake or biscuit base. The cake is more popular, but there are still plenty of biscuit enthusiasts.
“A lot of the old Southern folks like the biscuit; it soaks up the juices from the strawberries,” Kevin McFall, one of St. Clement’s booth organizers, said.
After choosing a base, loading it up with berries and adding homemade whipped topping, a St. Clement volunteer adds the finishing touch with a topper berry. St. Clement uses the shortcake booth to pay its bills and make donations to some local charities.
Why it’s the best
– Make your own shortcake, buffet-style line
– Proceeds go to charity and to help build a new church sanctuary
Turkey Creek Assembly of God
Another Plant City-area church sells shortcake at the festival, but its approach is different from St. Clement’s.
“It’s world famous, and it’s the best you ever ate,” Bill Bowers, a church member, said. “It’s the love and the care that goes into preparing it.”
Bower said Turkey Creek Assembly of God’s secret ingredient is a sweetener that is added to the berries, which sets this shortcake apart. Cake is used for the base.
Turkey Creek Assembly of God has been selling shortcake for 37 years and usually sells about 30,000 cakes. It takes about 70 volunteers each day of the festival to keep this production running smoothly.
Proceeds are used for the general operation of the church, as well as to support missionaries both in town and elsewhere.
Why it’s the best
– Secret ingredient: sweetener added to berries
– Proceeds go to support church and missions
East Hillsborough Historical Society
East Hillsborough Historical Society joined the shortcake bandwagon 33 years ago, with a touch of personal service.
“Ours are made as you order,” Shelby Bender, the shortcake booth manager, said. “We offer cake or a biscuit, we have sweetened or unsweetened berries, and occasionally pink whipped cream.”
The base is comparable to a birthday cake in taste and texture. EHHS sells about 24,000 shortcakes each year.
EHHS has about 70 volunteers working each day, split between preparation at the 1914 Plant City High School in the historic district and distribution at the festival. These volunteers are so enthusiastic about their duties that they often sign up for their shifts far in advance, sometimes in the summer. EHHS rewards them with an appreciation dinner after the festival.
The money that EHHS makes goes back to preservation and maintenance of the 1914 building, as well as the society’s educational programs, museums and other events.
Why it’s the best
– Choices: sweetened or unsweetened berries
– Proceeds benefit the EHHS
Vendor Locations
St. Clement Catholic Church
Parke Exhibit Building
Advance Tickets: Publix, local PTAs
Turkey Creek Assembly of God
Hershey’s Strawberry Tent
No advance tickets
East Hillsborough Historical Society
Pioneer Village Area
Advance tickets: Wilson Elementary PTA, Hardee’s Fashions